WELCOME TO OLNEY

The Olney City Council welcomed Officer Montana Cordell to the Olney Police Department at its Jan. 23 meeting. With her swearing-in by OPD Chief Dan Birbeck, Officer Cordell became the OPD’s ninth police officer and rounded out Chief Birbeck’s roster of officers.

“This is her first police job and she did her research, actually on us, before she chose us,” Chief Birbeck told the Council. “She wanted to do ride-alongs, meet the officers and truly see what she was getting herself into. She picked us as much as we picked her. I think she’s got a real passion for this job so I expect to see great things from her.”

Officer Cordell hails from Slaton, Texas in Lubbock County, and encountered the City of Olney driving between her hometown and the Metroplex, she said. “I just kind of came across the town and I said, I wonder if they’re hiring and I looked it up and sure enough they were hiring,” she told the Enterprise. “I did a ridealong and a few short weeks later I was hired.”

She is a graduate of South Plains College in Levelland, and received a second associate’s degree in law enforcement technology, she said. “I graduated in May of 2021,” Officer Cordell said. “I’ve been out of the Academy for a bit so I’m excited to get out there and learn and be the best cop I can be.”